What is a Sales Associate & How to Be a Great One

Retail is a pillar of the United States' economy — one that's projected to generate an estimated$5.35 trillion in 2025- 以及我们日常生活的主食。这很普遍，我们经常将其同时进行460万工人that sustain it for granted.

但是，耗资5.35万亿美元的收入不会产生自己，而大部分的销售人员 - 最常被称为销售人员- 值得一些认可，理解和关注。在这里，我们将讨论销售合伙人是什么，他们通常做什么，如何成为一员以及当前的销售合伙人如何改善他们的努力。让我们跳入。

You can think of a "sales associate" position as a directly interpersonal sales role with a customer service-oriented edge. In a lot of ways, the line of work is a blend of the two fields. A sales associate's responsibilities are immediate when it comes to solving customer needs.

They're often expected to answer a customer's questions, guide them through their buyer's journey, listen to and address their concerns, and sell them on relevant products — sometimes all in the same conversation.

They operate with an extremely condensed sales process and serve as customer's first point of contact when airing out problems with the retail outlets they work for. Here's a description of one of these roles from a typical sales associate job description.

销售助理职位描述

A typical sales associate job description might look something like this:

Responsibilities

• Answer customers' questions both in-store and over the phone.

• 向客户进入商店时打招呼。

• 跟踪并保留产品库存水平。

• Develop extensive knowledge of our company's suite of products.

• Operate the cash register and process customers' payments.

• 产品上的邮票和标签价格。

要求

• A high school diploma or GED

• 至少一年的销售或客户服务经验

• 能够晚上和周末工作的能力

• 基本数学技能

• 强大的口头沟通能力
• 注意细节

现在，您已经了解了一个典型的销售员工角色所需的照片，让我们仔细看看这种销售人员的作用。

1.他们欢迎客户。

销售量associates are usually the first line of communication between a retail location and its customers. They're often expected to greet customers as they enter the store. This responsibility requires some degree of enthusiasm and professionalism.

它为客户的零售体验定下了基调，并且是塑造他们对公司本身的看法的关键点之一。bob全站app这就是为什么最好的销售合伙人可以投射积极和专心 - 快速与潜在客户建立联系，并提供他们可能需要的任何帮助。

2.他们与客户互动并交谈以评估他们的需求。

销售同事协商资源为customers. They need to be able to connect with consumers, communicate with them effectively, identify their needs, and provide appropriate suggestions to suit them. That ability rests on a few skills and factors.

首先，销售员工需要知道如何积极倾听 - 考虑客户快速和周到的何处。他们还需要能够在自己的前景中来回一些，挑逗客户可能甚至没有考虑过痛苦点。

但是像这些元素一样重要，如果不受广泛的产品知识的支持，它们的意义并不多。

3.他们保持广泛的产品知识以提供建议。

最好的销售员工在为客户服务时确切地知道他们在说什么。他们对商店的产品套件进行了详尽的了解，并且最需要这些产品的特定人员和需求最适合。

Even the most empathetic, sensible sales associate can only get so far if they don't know how to apply the insight they gather through their conversations with customers — all of that leans on their ability to maintain solid product knowledge.

4. They help manage inventory.

Inventory management is another key responsibility that typically falls on sales associates. They're often expected to know how much of a certain product is in stock. This allows them to avoid any awkward, unfulfillable requests from customers. It also helps management keep tabs on what it needs to order.

5.他们有助于视觉销售。

零售地点需要吸引潜在客户的注意力。他们很少倾向于去看上去被废弃或匆匆散落在一起的店面 - 无论内部产品多么伟大。

眼店首先，，，，so it serves associates to have a visually appealing space supporting their conversations with customers. That's why visual merchandising is a key component of retail, and it's often on sales associates to put those kinds of displays together.

6.他们处理付款。

销售员工的另一个关键责任是促进客户的付款。这需要运营收银机，可能会副手了解产品价格，并为任何现金交易做出更改。

7.他们告知客户促销和销售。

与拥有产品知识相似的是，销售员工还需要对其商店可能拥有的任何促销或销售进行时事。他们还需要知道何时适当且富有成效，以告知客户这些交易。

如何成为销售合伙人

Like virtually any other line of work, you need to obtain the right qualifications and actively seek out the position that’s right for you if you want to become a sales associate. Here are the key points you need to address if you want to pursue one of these roles.

1. Look at your educational background.

典型的销售助理具有高中文凭或GED，或者获得商业，传播学院或任何其他使您发展相关的便携式技能的专业学位。

对于那些希望扩大教育背景并成为销售伙伴的人来说，有许多虚拟或面对面的人销售量training programs这提供了成长为销售人员所需的工具。

2.建造简历。

与其他任何职位一样，您需要证明自己有能力通过结构良好的简历成为销售合伙人 - 理想情况下，背后有某种销售经验。

几个销售员工清单将要求您至少有一年的零售销售工作 - 但是，如果您在没有这种经验的情况下担任这些角色之一，请不要太快就放弃。

如果您对销售合伙人职位感兴趣，请尝试找到您拥有的其他经验 - 无论是通过大学课程还是在其他领域的工作 - 并量身定制简历以突出其元素，以使自己成为成功的销售员。

例如，假设您从未在零售店工作，但是您是一家餐厅的女主人。将这种经验放在您的简历上，并强调您与食客的面对面体验如何转化为与购物者有效交流。

3. Research and seek out open sales associate positions.

You can't find sales associate jobs if you don't搜索它们— and when you do come across them, try to make sure the company's listing the positions are worth working for and within your wheelhouse.

如果一家企业因对其销售员工的治疗差而闻名，您可能希望经过清单，并找到一家不会拖累的公司。bob全站app同样，如果您认为您没有兴趣或能力出售某个雇主的产品，请考虑继续进行搜索。

4.准备面试。

当you get the opportunity to interview for a sales associate position, you’ll have to prepare accordingly. Focus on conveying your communication skills, personability, listening skills, and relevant work experience. If your previous positions aren't directly sales-related, touch on the transferable skills you gained over your professional history.

How to Be a Better Sales Associate

1. Take the time to thoroughly study the products you sell.

As I mentioned earlier, developing extensive product knowledge is a critical component of a successful career as a sales associate. And it might go without saying, but you can't expect to take on one of these roles and have that kind of insight automatically.

Like any kind of knowledge, product knowledge doesn't come arbitrarily — it takes some serious research and study. You need to buckle down and understand the nuances of your company's product suite.

每种产品都需要什么需求？什么样的客户将受益于使用产品a而不是产品b? And how can you convey the benefits of each offering most effectively? Being able to consistently address those questions makes an exemplary sales associate.

2.增强您的对话技巧。

作为销售合伙人的成功职业在很大程度上倾向于您使客户放松并无缝地指导他们的店内体验的能力。如果您的沟通能力太安静，尴尬，侵略性或不安全，那不会发生这种情况。

您需要知道如何与任何人进行对话。了解如何进行一次小小的讨论，同时仍然专注于为客户提供满足其需求和疑虑的相关产品。

此步骤不必太深。您不应该为五金店的顾客准备泪流满面的心脏，寻找便宜的圆形锯。但是，您仍然需要知道如何保持乐观，有趣和活跃的事情，以填补产品解释和硬销售之间的空间。

3.使用您的肢体语言。

这一点的目的与上面的目的相似。您想在客户走进您的商店和项目专业素养后立即使他们放松。如果您正在懒散或假设任何其他表明您无聊或疲倦的肢体语言，那么您将为客户的体验设置错误的基调。

确保您站直，看起来尽可能地表现出来。表明您有能力超越口头交流 - 您可以对客户留下的每一个可能的印象都在店内销售中发挥作用。

4. Adopt an"onto the next one"应对拒绝时的心态。

Rejection is a fact of life for any kind of salesperson — and sales associates aren't exempt from that. You're bound to run into customers who lack interest in your products, aren't in the right place financially, or are flat-out unreceptive to your sales efforts.

您不能个人拒绝。您需要捡起自己，刷掉自己，然后进入下一个。明显士气低落会损害您角色的其他关键要素（例如您的对话技巧和肢体语言），因此请尝试保持脚步。

话虽如此，你不应该完全ignoreany and all rejection. Every unsuccessful sale is a learning experience. Take an incisive, critical look at your sales efforts that fell short, and try to identify any patterns of behavior that might be holding you back.

Rejection doesn't necessarily mean failure — it often provides opportunities for growth, professional development, and future success.

5.研究销售策略，尤其是基于价值的销售。

零售环境正是这样 -销售量环境。这就是为什么了解某些销售策略（通常与常规销售相关的销售策略）可以为希望加强游戏的销售员工提供重大的推动。

方法和策略的要素咨询销售，，，，解决方案销售， 和“出售”命令销售都可以在销售助理的曲目中占有一席之地。

但是，在所有销售策略中，销售人员应该理解，基于价值的销售最重要的是有价值的。该策略围绕着基于其提供的潜在价值出售产品的旋转，而不是随之而来的所有整洁功能，铃铛和哨声。

Having a feel for value-based selling principles — including prioritizing the customer's interests, taking the time to better understand their individual needs, teaching customers as the sale progresses, guiding customers through the buying process, and ultimately selling based on what the customer stands to gain from the product in question — will make you a more well-rounded, effective sales associate.

销售量associate life is a grind in itself. Dealing with disgruntled customers, having to streamline a sales process into a single conversation, and keeping tabs on some of a retail outlet's logistical aspects can be tough — especially when you have to do them simultaneously.

尽管如此，如果您要么从事这些职位之一，要么担任这些职位之一，您仍有某些策略和重点，您可以希望使您的工作更轻松，销售工作更加有效。